Zen monastery

I am currently writing this from my tent in a forest in the outskirts of San Diego. I’m staying at a zen monastery. I took a long siesta during the day and now its the middle of the night and I’m wide awake. So I decided to write on my laptop.

I feel weird, though, in the sense that I’m really calm right now, calmer than I think I’ve ever been. My tent feels like more like a place of refuge than a mere tent. I’m alone here, but in a good way. It’s real quiet and it’s completely dark outside (the monastery doesn’t really have electricity). But the warm glow of my laptop keeps things lit up here. I am amazed at how still the sound of the crickets are. It’s a bit cold outside, but my sleeping bag keeps me nice and warm. This makes me feel very comfortable. The air here is cool and moist and refreshing. The forest is so quiet I can practically hear my own heartbeat, which is unusual because usually i’m not really
conscious of it. This is an excellent place to practice my zazen. The accommodations here are extremely basic. My food for the next day or wo is water, bread, salami and cheese.

There is nothing I really have to do right now, but I think I’ll spend the next 20 minutes practicing my zazen, thinking only of my breath.